Judge orders Ohio to recognize same-sex marriages

Associated Press

Published 5:54 pm, Monday, April 14, 2014

Photo: Al Behrman, Associated Press

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Attorney Al Gerhardstein, left, stands with several same-sex couples at a news conference, Friday, April 4, 2014, in Cincinnati. Civil rights attorneys are arguing in Federal Court on Friday that a federal judge should prohibit Ohio officials from enforcing the state's ban on gay marriage. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) less

Attorney Al Gerhardstein, left, stands with several same-sex couples at a news conference, Friday, April 4, 2014, in Cincinnati. Civil rights attorneys are arguing in Federal Court on Friday that a federal ... more

Photo: Al Behrman, Associated Press

Judge orders Ohio to recognize same-sex marriages

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Cincinnati --

A federal judge on Monday ordered Ohio to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states, and civil rights attorneys and marriage equality supporters immediately began looking ahead to their next fight: a lawsuit seeking to force Ohio to allow gay couples to marry.

Judge Timothy Black's ruling was a partial but significant victory for gay rights supporters, who called it a stepping stone for full marriage equality in Ohio.

Black ruled that Ohio's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage is a violation of constitutional rights and "unenforceable in all circumstances."

"The record before this court ... is staggeringly devoid of any legitimate justification for the state's ongoing arbitrary discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," Black wrote.

State will appeal

The state plans to appeal Black's ruling, arguing that Ohio has a sovereign right to ban same-sex marriage, which voters did overwhelmingly in 2004.

Al Gerhardstein, the Cincinnati civil rights attorney who filed the lawsuit that led to Black's ruling, said Monday that he's been speaking with several gay couples who want to win the right to marry in Ohio. He plans to file a lawsuit in the matter in the next couple weeks.

He called Black's ruling "a sweeping declaration" in favor of same-sex marriage and thinks the judge has given a clear indication that he would rule in favor of forcing Ohio to allow gay couples to marry in the state.

Black delayed deciding whether to issue a stay of Monday's ruling pending appeal until after attorneys on both sides present arguments on the issue by Tuesday.

However, Black said he's inclined to put the ruling on hold pending appeal, except for a portion that applies to the four gay couples who filed the February lawsuit that led to the court case. That would mean the state would immediately have to recognize their marriages and list both spouses as parents on their children's birth certificates.

If Black declines to stay his ruling, that would allow gay couples in Ohio to obtain the same benefits as any other married couple in the state, including property rights and the right to make some medical decisions for their partner.

Leaders criticized

Ed FitzGerald, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor in the November election, said Black's ruling "begins to open the door to full marriage equality in Ohio" and criticized Republican Gov. John Kasich for opposing equal rights.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said in a statement: "The governor believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, he supports Ohio's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and we're glad the attorney general is appealing the ruling."

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said last week that his job is to defend Ohio's statutes and constitutional provisions and that he will continue to do so.

He declined to speculate what the outcome of the state's appeal will be or the future of same-sex marriage rights as a whole.

"Every state is having a lively debate over this and I think that's a proper thing to do," he said. "I think it's pretty obvious that all these issues are going to be resolved by the Sixth Circuit and some cases are going to get to the Supreme Court. They're going to have a decision in the United States Supreme Court and we're all going to have to accept that."

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